Monthly Musing – December 2019

Written by Kirsty Fantini, Early Years Training & Consultancy

December 2019 Edition

Welcome to December’s Monthly Musing! I hope you enjoyed November’s edition and maybe you tried the recipe or the Educator Challenge? So what does December have in store?

Educator Well-Being Challenge – Reflect on this past year… 

When you think over the last year… 2019… what comes to mind?  Has 2019 been good to you? Has it been a shocker? Has it been full of amazing achievements, moments and /or memories? Has it been a mixed bag…. gone by way to fast?

As we come closer to the end of the year, developmental summaries due, end of year concerts around the corner, orientations, room changes and if you are like me …. Christmas shopping still on your ‘to do” list….. these last few weeks can create huge amounts of anxiety for some. What is meant to be “the Festive Season” can often become the “Frustrated Season”!

So, let’s take a moment and think… reflect on your year… the good and the not so good…

What have you learnt about yourselft? What are you proud of? What are you grateful for? How is your life great?

What are your goals for 2020? What do you want to achieve / experience? How can you make that happen?

So take this time to think and reflect, ponder and consider what you have achieved, no matter how small… and what you would like to achieve. Be grateful for those wonderful moments and be excited for more to come!

I wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year and hope to see and/or chat with you again next year!

Provocation – Superhero Play… yes or no?

We often tell families about the importance and outcomes of play. However we often think negatively about Superhero play, we re-direct and ask children, in so many words, to engage in “real” play. But have you ever seriously considered and reflected on the importance and significance of children’s Superhero play?

I have fond memories of taking on the role of Wonder Woman, having strength and power, being indestructible. As an adult I reflect back on these memories and wonder why feeling such power was important, being able to create the play as I went with both conflict and resolution so exciting, pretending to run, jump and “lasso” with that magic rope so empowering… and I now realise that Superhero Play allows children to explore power, achievement, excitement…. It actually supports self-concept and a positive (and literally, strong) sense of self.

So what happens when you see children pretending to me Spider Man, Bat Man, a Ninja Turtle? Do we discourage this or do we ask questions such as;
• Tell me about your character… what can he/ she do?
• How does this make you feel?
• In what ways might you be similar to this person?

These discussions and shared meanings can help us as educators to understand children, their perspectives, their challenges and where and when they feel powerful. While this play at times can appear unplanned and spontaneous it is in actual fact well planned, specific to the character and explores many life skills and issues. If we play our cards right, we can also introduce discussions around aggression, conflicts, empathy, helping others and community.

So before we ask children to stop their Superhero Play, stop and think about your favourite child hood Superhero, put on that imaginary cape and join them!

Something Yummy!

CACAO SLICE… yep I am re-visitng this recipe as it’s one of my faves and great for Christmas!

I just love this treat for so many reasons. It is quick and easy to make, it is actually healthy as it’s made from whole foods and no sugar and it’s (have i told you before) just delicious. Please note this is not to be made a in a child care setting due to nut content.

Ingredients:

• 1 CUP nuts (chopped or blended) I like to use oven roasted almonds, macadamia and peanuts
• 1/4 CUP pure maple syrup
• 1 CUP shredded coconut
• 1/2 CUP melted coconut oil
• 1/4 CUP seeds (i like to use pumpkin and sunflower seeds)
• 2 TBS Cacao (NOTE: Not cocoa)
• 1/2 CUP dried fruit (I like craisins or dates)
• Pinch salt
• 1Tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Blend / chop nuts
2. combine all ingredients into a bowl
3. pour into square tray lined with baking paper
4. leave in fridge until set
5. cut into small squares and keep in the fridge

Educator PD Give-away!

I am very excited to announce that I am giving away 1 FREE in-house Educator PD session!

To enter all you need to do is book your centre’s in-house PD session to be delivered between Jan-June 2020 and pay for this training before 17th January 2020 to receive an entry into the Give-away Competition.  The winning centre will receive a FREE in-house PD session to be redeemed in 2020!

For more information and T&C’s please email kirsty@earlyyearstraining.com.au

Thank you for reading Monthly Musings.

I hope you have enjoyed the December edition! I wish you an amazing month and a very Merry Christmas and New Year. I would love to hear about your Educator well-being challenge, if you tried the recipe or provocation. For ideas and feedback please feel free to email me – kirsty@earlyyearstraining.com.au or comment on the Facebook post.

Kind regards, Kirsty

Early Years Training & Consultancy – RTO 91839  https://earlyyearstraining.com.au